Understanding the police killing of Daniel Prude
At 3:16am on March 23, 2020, police in Rochester, New York, received reports of a naked man running outside under the influence of Phencyclidine (a hallucinogenic also called PCP) and claiming he had COVID-19.
Police arrived and hand-fcuffed Daniel Prude, 41. When he began to spit at officers, police covered his head with a mesh hood.
Police held him face down on the pavement for two minutes, until he had to be resuscitated.
He died in hospital seven days later because of, according to the County medical examiner, complications from "the asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint".
Why is this only being discussed now?
In late April, after conducting a review of the body camera footage, an investigation by the Rochester Police Department determined the officers involved had complied with their training and acted appropriately. Prude's death was classified as a drug overdose. Prude's family were unable to access the body camera footage.
Last week, Prude's family released raw police videos of the encounter, which they had obtained through an open-records request.
The video immediately sparked protests in Rochester and around the U.S., with demonstrators calling for transparency, resignations, and reforms. Protests continue to grow in numbers and frequency.
Seven officers involved in Prude’s arrest were suspended, and the New York state Attorney General’s office is continuing its investigation into the killing, having called for a grand jury to examine the case on September 5.
Daniel Prude was reportedly experiencing mental health problems when police detained him.
On March 22 (the day before his death), Prude was taken to a Rochester hospital by his brother for evaluation on the basis of “suicidal ideation.” Prude had a history of mental health issues.
It was the next morning, on March 23, when he ran naked from his brother's house, prompting his brother to call the police.
Daniel Prude's family are currently suing Chief La’Ron Singletary, Deputy Chief Mark Simmons and several other Rochester police officers after the independent medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
The case has placed a renewed focus on long-standing problems in policing against people with mental illness, and a failure to use deadly force as a last resort. According to the Washington Post Fatal Force tracker, 22% of all people killed by police in the U.S. had a mental illness.